A Second Of Silence
by Niknakz93
Summary: England, 1707, and Lauren finds herself in the care of a trio of Originals when her father is brutally murdered. And there's monsters at every turn... including her carers... Klaus/OC/Elijah R&R?


**A Second Of Silence**

_31st October, 1708_

_xxx_

My life from a very young, tender age... my entire life, in fact, was controlled by my beast of a father.

The happiness of a young woman of just eighteen was nothing, a small price to pay compared to the family name. The Corvina name that was.

Our family resided in the south of the Isle of Wight, in the beautiful quaint little town of Sandown since the early 1400s. Good old Britannia.

The year was 1708, the month October, and the leaves were a deep golden brown, strewn upon the dry floor like a blanket, swirling up into little whirlwinds as the wind blew through the clearing I was sat in as still as a marble statue. It was All Hallows Eve, and the spirits would be out tonight no doubt.

As if I even believed in that kind of supersition.

Silence surrounded me, and my eyes were closed, feeling the warmer than usual October wind caress my cheek, whispering in my ear that my days as a free women were coming to a close... day by day, hour by hour... minuet by minuet.

And I hated it. Hated it with a passion so intense it threatened to ignite the air around me.

The woods was a place of calm, of quiet... until a voice rent the air-

"Lauren? Where are you child?"

My eyes slowly opened now as the familiar voice floated through the trees, and my young French maid, Adele. She was just barely older than me with midnight hair scraped back into a messy bun on the back of her head, and her deep brown eyes seemed much more older and wiser than her years, a few lines around them too. She had been with our family for over a year now, and she was fresh from Paris. Why she came to Sandown I never knew or thought to ask.

But now that very same maid walked into the clearing now, then gasped at the sight of me sat among the decaying leaves. "Non, non, non!" she just said now, dashing over and pulling me to my feet, muttering something angrily in French I didn't catch, but now I did as she reverted language to English.

"Child, your father summons you... and you look like an animal rolling around in mud-" the rest was in French and I sighed, batting the dark leaves from my pale pink dress, allowing Adele to fuss over my dress, then say that I was going to catch a cold with nothing around my shoulders.

A truly lovely young woman... but stubborn as a mule at times.

Adele was still muttering in French as she pulled me back towards the mansion, leading us along the cherry tree path. The blossoms were long gone and dead, and the branches were cold and bare, like a lonely lover in her bed.

My mass of intricate long honey blonde curls were flying behind me now as she made me run, never letting my hand go once as she dragged me through the leaves and up the long and wide driveway where I could see a pure white horse complete with dark leather saddle tethered to the willow tree in the front grounds, snorting and stamping on the earth in annoyance at the harness around its head.

Corvina mansion was large and beige bricked with a dark brown roof and a few turrets from where the castle had once been. Well, before old age got to it and the place was rebuilt by my ancestors over four hundred years ago, which now resulted in Corvina mansion. The largest and impressive home on the tiny little, but important island in the kingdom of Britannia.

Adele stopped me before the double, obsidian inlaid mahogany doors before entering the mansion, going. "Ah-ah-" she raised her hands to my cheeks now, then pinched them a little to make them rosy, then finally cracked a smile.

"There mon cherie. You look belle."

I nodded at that, then sighed, swallowing hard and walked inside the cavernous entrance hall with its sweeping white marble staircase that led to the upper floors, and as I walked through the seemingly endless corridors, my sapphire blue eyes trained themselves over the family portraits.

This was my future... to sit while some man leeched over me, a canvas before him, paintbrush in hands and errant thoughts in mind.

What a future I had to look forwards to (!)

A woman had to have a man. That was the rules, the law you could say. A woman was nothing without a man, and even when she did marry, was his property.

Things could very easily get much, much more unpleasant than this current life.

My own looks were of luscious honey blonde hair that fell to the middle of my back in tight ringletted curls, my skin a pale cream, but not that alabaster color that most women seemed to favor... It was unnatural to be so white. My eyes sapphire a sapphire color that matched the gems around my neck and in my hair very nicely. A slim beauty by many standards.

But under the posture, etiquette and everything a well bought up young woman should be, I wanted, needed to escape.

To escape these binds that had be trapped so very tightly.

Bound by my family and lack of free will...

Father was sat upon his usual faded red velvet armchair, a book in one hand, while the other held a glass of whiskey of generous amount

He was still handsome for a man of forty eight, his shaggy, but well groomed hair fell to just below his hair, the color of an oak tree. His eyes were the same shade as his hair, but his eyes were showing his age in the forms of lines around them, giving him a stern look that accompanied his nature.

Frederick Corvina, Papa, now set his book down, but not his glass as he surveyed his daughter who was now stood before him, hands behind her back and shoulders in their proper position.

"Ah, Lauren." he said now in that darkened voice of his, finally setting his glass down and sighed, gesturing that I was to come and perch on the little red velvet covered stool next to him. I sat in silence next to him, then he sighed once more-

"The time has come Lauren."

I nodded in silence, knowing in an instant what he meant- he had chosen me a suitor.

"Papa-" I started, but he cut me off, saying sharply.

"No more 'buts' child. You are a woman, the future of the Corvina bloodline. Do you wish us to be forgotten from history? Our name blown to the winds and our home tarnished by foreign blood?"

"No, but-"

"No! No more buts! I just said that! You exhaust me so very much. So stubborn."

I stood up at that, a wave of passionate fury coursing through my body.

"Why?" I simply asked, and he stood up too, towering over he as he growled. "You are my daughter, I am your father. You will honor and obey my choices and decisions."

"What if I say No?"

He grabbed my bare shoulders now, assuring me I was going to bruise by tonight. But now he hissed. "And are you going to say no?"

I weighed up my chances, but that smoldering fury in Fathers eyes made me say quietly. "I was not."

"Good." he just snapped now, letting me go and stalking out the room, leaving me to stand there and let the tears spill from my eyes and onto my beautiful gown.

What was the point in this marriage-? Fake love given to a man in which I held no affection for. What was the reason for the idea of true love if it wasn't returned?

There was no passion in a loveless relationship...

And my freedom clock was counting down in teardrops.

Later that night, I came down for dinner and sat diligently at the long oak table, eating from the finest silver plates, the cutlery of the same shimmering finish.

Father was sat opposite, and avoiding my eyes; I knew he blamed me for my mothers death. Elizabeth Corvina, my sweet, sweet mother, had died in childbirth. To me no less... and Fathers despair had soon been turned around at me.

He'd never gotten over his wifes death, but he could have sent me away. Sent me to an orphanage, but no. He had kept me... like my mother would have wanted.

I wondered what she was like; had she been as outspoken as me at times? More obedient? Or maybe more rebellious?

But I did know that if I'd had known her... I'd love her instantly.

There were hurried footsteps now, the a maid dashed into the room and whispered something urgently to Father, whose eyes widened, then muttered, clear and loud enough for me to hear it.

"No... that is impossible-!"

The maid looked worried, and Father waved her away, looking rather flustered. He got up now, then said to me. "A situation has arisen at the Evans. It seems we have wolves in our midst."

I felt a little cold at that, but then frowned. "Are they-?"

He pulled his jacket on and said curtly. "They were torn to shreds, Lauren. Do not leave the mansion."

He left now, and I didn't understand.

Wolves? But... that wasn't possible. Sandown had never had the animals living here before... not for four hundred years. My own ancestors had seen to that, eradicating them from the entire island.

Something dark was stalking Sandown... and these murders, these... attacks were just the start.

The next morning, I was faced with a surprise when I walked downstairs and came face-to-face with a pair of young men.

One of them was stood next to the entrance, gazing out with his long oak brown hair fluttering lightly in the wind. He didn't turn to me, but his companion did.

The companion in question was taller than me with longish, ragged blonde-brown hair and intrigued blue eyes. He turned to me, looking me up and down it seemed, a smile appearing on his face...

But it seemed more like a smirk to Lauren.

"Good morning my dear." He said, and I felt myself freeze, wondering who these pair of strange and unfamiliar men were.

"Umm... good morning." Was all I could say back, and the man before me took my hand in his, pressing his lips to it with another one of his charming smiles.

"You seem startled?" He asked me now, but before I could answer, there was hurried footsteps on the marble stairs, then they froze as Father said in surprise-

"Niklaus? Elijah-?"

I turned to Father now, and his eyes were on the pair, looking more or less scared-

Hold on just a moment... scared? Now why would Father be scared of these two young men-?

The one called Niklaus stepped forwards now, taking my fathers hand and just said.

"Frederick. May we talk?"

I couldn't make out Fathers reply, but it sounded like-

_"Do I even have a choice?"_

Niklaus walked back down the stairs now, flashing me another look as he did so, but didn't say anything, merely going into the drawing room, Father following him, rather reluctantly I must admit.

The one named Elijah looked to me now, but didn't say a word as he followed the other man into the drawing room.

I had the shivers at that- there was something about these pair that... scared my father, and that in turn scared me.

A moments hesitation, then I tip-toed forwards and put my ear to the door, listening in.

_"Your time is up, Frederick. Where is it."_

_"I- I don't-"_

_"Truly... do not play games with me. The moonstone. Where is it."_

A silence...

_"I do not have it, Klaus. I- I am sorry. Do not be mad."_

_"Oh... I am not mad... just upset. And you know what happens when I get upset."_

That sounded more than ominous, and I stepped back from the door, not wanting to get involved with all this.

The All Hallows Eve ball was tonight...

Why did I have such a bad feeling about it-?

_Been soooooo long since I put up anything at all... and it is Halloween;D so-! Here's a new Klaus/OC/Elijah for you all;D And Rebekah will be in this one... oooeee! So excited to be writing her in this period:) and yes, Elijah still has one more chance, so he'll be hovering around for a while:) Gonna be hot and bloody this story- so thanks and reviews much loved:) hope you like it and I'll continue of people want me to x Nic PS- sorry for no paragraphs etc- something wrong with my uploader-_- whay (!)_


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